Earth working and snow removal equipment generally utilize a blade that is contacted with the ground to scrape away or “grade” a desired surface. Generally, the blade can be defined as having two main parts; a long support member, also referred to as a mold board, and a replaceable cutting edge interconnected to and extending downwardly from the lower edge of the support member. The mold board is generally made of steel and is typically concave on its forward side and may be adjustable about a vertical and/or horizontal axis for directing earth/snow removed from a surface. The cutting edge is generally bolted to the lower surface of the mold board and projects downward beneath the bottommost surface of the mold board. In this regard, when the blade is used for plowing/grading, the cutting edge contacts the ground and withstands most of the impact and abrasive wear to which the blade is subjected during use. Though made from durable steel, these cutting edges wear with usage. Upon reaching a predetermined amount of wear, these cutting edges must be replaced to prevent the bottom edge of the mold board from contacting the ground during use, thus causing permanent wear/damage to the permanent structure of the mold board.
Earth and/or snow moving equipment, and particularly earth and/or snow moving equipment utilized to grade/plow roads (i.e. a “road grader” or “patrol”) are especially susceptible to heavy wear of their cutting edges, as they are often used to move highly abrasive materials such as gravel and asphalt. In this regard, the cutting edges of these machines must be frequently changed to prevent permanent structural damage from occurring. As a result, operations that utilize this type of equipment, such as road construction firms and governmental entities that are responsible for maintaining existing roads, spend a considerable amount of time replacing these cutting edges. The replacement of blade edges is generally time consuming and represents down time for the equipment. Further, on larger earth moving equipment, the blade may be up to about 24 feet in length and contain two or more sections of replaceable cutting edges. Even though these cutting edges may be separated into several sections, they may still be up to about 12 feet long and, as a metal plate, be quite heavy and awkward to handle. Often, two or more workers are required to hold the replacement cutting edges relative to the mold board for attachment thereto.